CHAPTER XVI
UNDER COVER OF NIGHT
Some time later, when George again relieved Josh at the outlook post,the latter came strolling up to the little fire to get his supper, ofwhich he was in need, for Josh had a pretty healthy appetite that seldomwent back on him.
"One thing sure," he remarked, as he sat himself down and prepared tohave Buster wait on him, "when you told me, Jack, to build this fire soit couldn't be easily seen from out on the river, you knew what you weretalking about."
"Well," remarked the commodore simply, "my idea at the time was to avoidhaving the light noticed too easily by any one who happened to be on thewater. Yes, and I hoped to keep the people on that monitor a mile andmore away from wanting to pay us a visit too early in the night."
"It might break up our plans all right if they did come," agreed Josh,lifting his tincup to his lips and proceeding to let some of the finecoffee pass down his throat as a "bracer" or opening of ceremonies.
"As long as you stayed out there at the point, did you see or hearanything suspicious, Josh?" Buster wanted to know, when he handed theplatter, heaped up with good things, to the late-comer.
"Never a sign all the time I stood sentry," came the reply, though Joshhad a little difficulty in talking and eating at the same time. "Butplease let me take the edge off my ferocious appetite before you throwany more questions at me, fellows. I'll be in a more angelic humor then,mebbe."
"Angelic--that's pretty rich for you, Josh," gurgled Buster; but, havingenough sympathy for a hungry chum to know how Josh felt, he maintained adiscreet silence after that.
Jack walked over to the near-by shore. He wanted to find out for himselfhow matters seemed to be going.
"Hello! That you, Jack?" said a voice suddenly, when he found himselfclose to the brim of the river.
It had become so dark by this time, the moon not having as yet arisenbehind the clouds, that seeing was next to impossible. George, however,had heard footsteps somewhere close by, and guessed who was coming.
"Yes, where are you, George? Oh, I see you, now that you move. That'sthe boat just beyond you, too. Everything lovely with you?"
"I heard something across the river that sounded as if it might be aboat being lowered that struck against the side of the monitor. Thenthere were voices, too. You know how queer sounds come across a mile ormore of water, Jack?"
"Yes, of course I do. But if it was a boat being lowered we'll have tochange our plans somewhat," Jack continued.
"By that you mean get away from here sooner?" queried the vidette.
"Just what I do, George."
"Suppose now it was a boat being put in the water that I heard, though Imay have been mistaken; how long would it take them to row over here, doyou think?" George asked next.
"That depends on how hard they handled the oars," said Jack. "It couldhardly be less than half an hour at the best, I should say. You see, themonitor lies down-stream from here, so they'd have to first of all workagainst the strong current before crossing."
"Yes, and then again it might be they'd try to keep us from hearing themcoming all they could, Jack, which would mean they couldn't put alltheir strength into the work."
"You've got the right idea, George; so we can have something like halfan hour to get away in. It may turn out to be a false alarm after all,but we can't afford to take any chances."
"That's so," agreed the other briskly, for a wonder, never dreaming ofoffering any objection. "The sooner we're abroad on the river thebetter. Then again, before the old moon comes up behind the clouds,we'll have it pitch dark. That ought to help us a lot about slippingpast without getting caught."
"Stay here, and keep on listening, George."
"Are you going back to get the rest of the crowd, Jack?"
"Yes. As soon as Josh has finished his supper we had better go aboardagain and shove off," he was informed.
"But say, tell me how you expect to work it, please Jack, before yougo."
"If you mean the boat, that's a simple thing," the skipper told him."You know we've got a strong push-pole that's a pretty good length?Well, I took soundings as we came in toward the shore, and found thatthe river is fairly shallow around here. With that pole we can push outinto the stream quite a little distance. Then we'll just lie low and lether float on the current."
"Well, now, I sort of expected that would be the programme," saidGeorge; "and I certainly agree with you there. Silence is our best assetin a game like this. We'd feel pretty cheap and small after getting wellstarted if all of a sudden some one called out of the darkness:'Tag--you're it!'"
George, finding Jack had slipped away meanwhile, and that he was merelytalking to empty space, drew the line at wasting his breath in thismanner, and relapsed into silence.
When Jack got back to the little fire he found that, short though thetime had been, Josh had made rapid headway with his supper. The pannikinwas already more than half empty, and that must be his third cup ofcoffee Buster was pouring out for him.
Everybody looked up as Jack came into camp.
"You'll have just five minutes more, Josh, to finish your supper," wasthe first thing the other said as he joined them.
Josh looked surprised.
"What! so soon?" he exclaimed, and then started in to devour his foodravenously, as though determined to make the best of the limited time.
Buster laughed softly.
"Josh, you make me think of that old, old fellow who had his gravestonecut, and kept it in the house for about thirty years. The neighbors werewild with curiosity to know what he had put on the same, leaving a blankfor the date of his departure. After he was buried every one flocked tothe cemetery to read it. And this was what they found chiseled in thestone: 'I expected this--but not so soon!'"
Josh did not make any reply. He was indeed too busy to even laugh justthen, for in his mind the seconds were trooping past, and it wentagainst his grain to waste good food.
When three minutes had passed he was ready. Meanwhile Jack had glancedaround to make sure they left nothing behind them in the shape of ablanket or cooking utensil, none of which he felt they could spare.
"There, I'm all ready for business!" announced Josh, climbing to hisfeet, for he was really too full of supper to move with his accustomedagility.
"Everybody get hold of something, then," said Jack, "and we'll head forthe boat. I'll scatter the fire last of all. That's the true hunter way,you know, never to leave a fire burning behind, because a wind may comeup and scatter the red ashes among the dead leaves. Many a forest firehas sprung from just that folly. But in our case we've got anotherreason for wanting to kill the blaze; it may keep some people guessingto know what's become of us."
Presently all this had been accomplished, and they were heading, Indianfile, toward the river bank. Josh led the way, laden down with things.Then came the Serbian boy, and his little sister, who clung tohim through it all; after them Buster stumbled with his customaryawkwardness, while Jack brought up the rear to make sure that no onestrayed from the line.
They soon arrived at the edge of the bank, where George joined them.Buster, as he looked anxiously out at the bank of gloom marking theriver, felt a strange sensation taking possession of him. It was notfear, though possibly the feeling could be likened to awe.
"Makes me think of the smugglers landing on the coast of England, andtrying to evade the revenue officers with their casks of spirits," hewhispered to Josh.
Somehow, although as yet Jack had said nothing on that score, evenBuster seemed to realize that there was great need for caution, whichwas why he lowered his voice in the way he did.
The next thing was to get aboard the boat. Jack saw to it first of allthat the brother and sister were safe, and then urged Buster to followsuit.
"Josh, I'm going to appoint you to the honor task," he went on to saysoftly.
"Good for you, Jack," came the low reply; "just tell me what I'm to do?"
"George will go aboard with me, for we want to g
et the push-pole handy.When I give a whistle, unfasten the cable and shove her off, climbingover the side yourself the best way you can. Get that, Josh?"
"Just my style, boss," he heard the other say as he started toward thetree to which the strong rope was attached.
Jack had examined his chart many times lately, so that he knew justwhere they must be on the river. The Danube takes a sharp turn towardthe east at Belgrade, and here the Save River empties into the largerstream. On the same shore that the little party had chosen for theirlanding lies the Austrian town of Semlin; and here on the heights strongfortifications have long menaced the Serbian capital, as well as otherbatteries further along the Danube.
It would be impossible for them to land above Belgrade in order to lettheir passengers go ashore, so on this account it was necessary thatthey take the two with them while running the batteries.
Jack had regretted this, because he did not like the idea of thatinnocent child sharing their danger; still, so far as he could see,there was nothing else to be done. The Serb begged him not to think ofabandoning them while on hostile territory. He had explained by gesturesand pictures that his father had been a general in the Serbian army, andon account of the hatred borne for his family by the Hungarians he feltsure something terrible would happen if they fell into the hands of theenemy and their identity were discovered.
When Jack had everything in readiness for their hasty departure he gavethe low whistle for which Josh on shore was impatiently waiting. Theycould hear him pulling the cable from around the tree trunk; then itcame aboard, and Josh started pushing the boat off.
This required no great effort, for the water was sufficient to floatsuch a small craft comfortably. Having managed to get the boat started,Josh clambered aboard and, being a nimble fellow, even though far fromhimself after that hearty supper, he contrived to accomplish thiswithout any particular noise.
"We're off!" said George softly, but with considerable satisfaction, ashe felt the motorboat moving under the impetus Jack was giving to thepush-pole.
"Bully!" echoed Buster, though at the time he probably hardly knewwhether he could call himself satisfied or not; for he realized thatthey were taking more or less desperate chances in trying to slip downthe river when two hostile armies were spread along the opposite bankswatching for any sign of a surprise and doubtless ready to start a hotfire at the first indication of a crossing being attempted.
This was especially true of the Serbians, for they knew that an invasionof their territory was planned by the Austrian army, backed by heavyartillery.
Jack continued to handle that pole with more or less ability. It was nonew task for him. Any one who goes much upon the water in motorboatslearns the value of a good pole, especially when the cruise leadsthrough swampy sections, where it is no uncommon thing to be mired andneed other help than that afforded by the unreliable engine.
The current began to make itself felt almost immediately they were off.It was Jack's intention to keep on using his pole until he could nolonger touch bottom. When that time arrived they would have to let theboat drift with the current, under the belief that it was apt to stayfairly well out in the river.
"Listen, everybody," said Jack about this time; "from now on silence isgoing to be the golden rule aboard this craft. Don't say a single wordunless you have to, and then whisper it. That applies to every one."
The night was fairly quiet about this time, at least there was no firingfrom the batteries on the banks of the Danube, though thousands uponthousands of armed men kept watch there, ready to lock arms in a fiercebattle when the time came.
Long had this feeling of bitter enmity lain deep down in the hearts ofAustrian and Serb. The dual monarchy had for many years looked upon thesmaller kingdom as a tempting morsel that some day she hoped to engulfinto her capacious maw, just as had been done in the case of Bosnia andother countries now forming parts of the Austrian patchwork of manytongues and many people, all under the rule of Francis Joseph. And nowat last war had actually broken out, so that the scores of many yearswould all have a chance of being settled before peace came again todistracted Europe.
Deeper grew the water, so that Jack was beginning to find some difficultyin reaching bottom. This meant that presently there would be no furtherneed of the push-pole, for they would have gotten out far enough to letthe stream carry them along.
It was about this time that sounds came stealing over the water,causing fresh alarm. All of them could make out the distinct creak ofoars in rowlocks, being worked with a steady rhythm that told ofexperienced hands in the unseen boat.
Then the next thing they heard was a low muttered word of command, whichcame from exactly the same quarter as the other noise.
A boat was passing toward the shore they had recently left. It must havecome from over the river, and, as the monitor lay in that quarter,evidently those who had been sent out to investigate the status of themotorboat party had seen fit to pull straight across first, intending tofollow the trend of the shore up to the camp.
Jack had reason to believe they would pass down before the hostile boatdrew close enough for any one to make them out; nevertheless, his heartseemed to cease beating for the moment, such was the intense anxietythat seized upon him.